Bucs Clarify They Won't Let Internet Tough Guys Come Talk Shit With Gerald McCoy

If you heard Gerald McCoy’s call to come to the Buccaneers’ headquarters and talk your shit to his face yesterday, I have bad news for you: The Bucs won’t let you, because answering McCoy’s call to come “hold court” with him does not (for some reason) constitute “official business.”

After the Bucs lost by 17 points to a Vikings team led by Case Keenum this weekend, fans were understandably frustrated. Unsurprisingly, some of them lashed out and ran their mouths online, which really got to McCoy. The Pro Bowler spoke with the all the shit he was getting from social-media users, and extended an altogether very reasonable invitation to come down to team HQ and chat with him:

“There’s a bunch of people out there that say a lot of terrible things that I know they wouldn’t say to our face,” McCoy said. “These social media tough guys. I would love to meet them. Just being honest. ... I would love to meet you. I work at One Buccaneer Place if you would like to talk to me. I’m not going to give you my home address, but I’ll meet you up here anytime you want to talk about it.”

“If you’ve got something to say, let’s just talk about it. It’s not a threat. ... I get so frustrated with it. It’s not a threat to anybody. The disrespect has to stop. If you’re frustrated, that’s fine, but disrespecting us, then you’re crossing the line. It’s no longer football. Now you’re disrespecting us as men. You calling me out my name over a football game? A football game? You serious? It’s one game. One. We have 14 more! One game, and you’re going to disrespecting us like that?”

“I’ll never put my hands on anybody. This is not a threat. But you know where I work,” he said. “There’s a front desk. Knock on the door. ‘I want to talk to Gerald about the game yesterday.’ I will see you out there. We can hold court.”

Alas, the Bucs don’t actually want their workplace flooded by a horde of internet users, and said that they weren’t going to let all the aggrieved Bucs fans in.

In order to gain entrance, the Bucs said Tuesday, you must either have official business with the team or an employee or a visitor form that has been filled out and left at the guard gate on your behalf. That’s always been the policy and the Bucs say they will not suspend its security measures because McCoy felt he and some of his teammates were disrespected on social media.

If you still have beef with McCoy, I guess just send the Bucs a letter or something.